Posted on 08/16/2009 10:48:48 AM PDT by bornred
A 34-YEAR-OLD woman, the mother of a 12-year-old girl, has been locked up in a Virginia jail for three weeks and could remain there for at least another month. Her crime? Blogging about the police.
Elisha Strom, who appears unable to make the $750 bail, was arrested outside Charlottesville on July 16 when police raided her house, confiscating notebooks, computers and camera equipment. Although the Charlottesville police chief, Timothy J. Longo Sr., had previously written to Ms. Strom warning her that her blog posts were interfering with the work of a local drug enforcement task force, she was not charged with obstruction of justice or any similar offense. Rather, she was indicted on a single count of identifying a police officer with intent to harass, a felony under state law.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
When are you going to give up the illusion that all cops walk on water?
Obstruction of justice is one thing. Keeping an eye on our employees to insure fair treatment of citizens is quite another.
My boss has the legal right to monitor my behavior on the job and it is quite acceptable.
Please explain what difference you see.
so you see this woman as their boss? jeez, maybe i should follow my senator around and do what she did. i’m their ‘boss’ right?
Ms. Strom is not the most sympathetic symbol of free-speech rights. She has previously advocated creating a separate, all-white nation
Nut job.
The above is a direct quote, the first paragraph being your quote of a previous quote.
The pertinent sentence: “Ms. Strom is not the most sympathetic symbol of free-speech rights.” makes all the rest off the edge.
As I said, the 1st Amendment does not define who is and who is not entitled to free speech. The clear intent is that all are entitled to free speech.
If that free speech amounts to stalking, the object of the stalking should go before a judge and go through the legal process.
If the free speech is libel or slander, the object should bring a civil suit.
Cops grabbing her off the street and putting her in jail is totally unacceptable.
Yes.
Public scrutiny of public officials is necessary to prevent corruption.
I have seen a cop do something that should have sent him to prison for years.
There ARE good cops out there, and I will certainly give you the benefit of the doubt, factor.
But you know damn well there are a bunch of crooked ones out there as well.
I’m friends with a couple of good ones (my local Sheriff for one), but in general I don’t trust ANY of them.
>>Well, if someone were following me around, reporting on what I do & speculating about me in a blog, and then publishes my address I would hope I had some legal recourse to make her cease & desist, at least.<<
I would warn the person and, barring improvement in the situation, burn their house down - and make sure I have a DARNED GOOD alibi.
Police are secretaries with guns and should be used only as a last result.
Why do dirty cops hate cameras?
Difference is, if somebody harasses me, I can beat them up and then spend a few days in jail. If somebody harasses a cop, the person doing the harassing goes to jail. Taken to its fullest extent the cop could probably kill his harasser, and get away with it. If I killed my harasser, I would get the chair.
All people are equal, its just some are more equal than others.
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